For my final blog post, I will be discussing the third blog post identifying an object in the dystopian environment. I will be comparing Caitlin's blog post of the Mockingjay to my blog post of guns. These were two essential objects that contributed to the destruction of the districts in "The Hunger Games" series.
A symbol that transitioned from a badge on her chest to a symbol for social discontent towards the Capitol, Caitlin explains how Katniss Everdeen became the face of the rebellion and embraced the role as "The Mockingjay." Caitlin explains how new materialism plays a huge role in this series due to the growing thing-power and assemblage of the mockingjay symbol. She explains how even though Katniss plays a huge role in this rebellion, the mockingjay symbol itself is more than just her. It holds an agency that unites all of the districts together against the Capitol. The districts were already displeased and frustrated with the Capitol, but did not choose to act upon these feelings. As the mockingjay symbol gained more power, more people chose to get behind Katniss, "The Mockingjay."
Unfortunately for Katniss, her life was not all about hope. There were many people and objects that she had to overcome in order to find peace at the end of her story. One symbol that threatened her desire for peace were the guns held by the Peacekeepers of the Capitol. An unforgettable moment in the first "Hunger Games" movie is the ultimate representation of the conflict between these two objects. This moment occurs when an old man puts up the mockingjay symbol to show his support of Katniss and rebellion of the Capitol. As a result of this, the Peacekeepers took him and shot him with a gun in front of everyone to give a warning to those who wanted to continue doing this. The gun used by the peacekeeper was an attempt to show their dominance and control over the districts in order to suppress the mockingjay's symbolism and power.
In my original blog post, I questioned if guns were considered a dystopian advantage or liability. Throughout this course, guns have contributed more to the power of the antagonists of the dystopia more than the protagonists of the story. Although guns may be necessary to use in certain situations, they will always contribute to the violence and disorder of a dystopia. A good example of this was seen in "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. The boy and the man carry a gun with them as they attempt to survive in their journey. The man explains that the gun has two bullets left, and is kept for special purposes. While the man is forced to shoot one of his bullets in order to save the boy, this was not his intentions for that bullet. He explained to the boy that if they were ever trapped by cannibals with no chance to survive, those bullets were to use on themselves to prevent them from becoming cannibals themselves. While this may be an understandable method to prevent becoming a cannibal, would they actually be able to do it? Would the boy be able to take his own life with a gun? This leads me to my final question: Are guns a dystopian advantage or liability?
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Works Cited Page
Dorsch, Caitlin. “‘The Mockingjay.’” "The Mockingjay", Blogger, 29 Feb. 2020, dorsch-dystopianenvironments.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-mockingjay.html.
Prosser, Caroline. “Jennifer Lawrence Films Hunger Games in Paris Armed with Her Bow and Arrow.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 10 May 2014, www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2625181/Jennifer-Lawrence-prepares-bow-arrow-films-Hunger-Games-Paris.html#i-daab74899b33447c.
Staff, THR. “'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2:' New Trailer Focuses on Katniss and Prim's Bond.” The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Sept. 2015, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hunger-games-mockingjay-part-2-prim-trailer-823840.
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